Find an example of two disjonit sets $A$ and $B$ of real numbers such that $m^{*}(A \cup B) < m^{*}(A) + m^{*}(B)$.

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Theorem: For any two sets $A$ and $B$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$, we have $$m^{*}(A \cup B) \le m^{*}(A) + m^{*}(B).$$

Moreover, I can show that there exist two disjoint sets $A$ and $B$ such that $$m^{*}(A \cup B) < m^{*}(A) + m^{*}(B)$$ by using the contradiction to show that every set in $\mathbb{R}^n$ is measurable (this is unreasonable since the Vitali set is a non-measurable set in $\mathbb{R}^n$)

My question is whether we can find the form of any two sets like this? The form of them is trivial?

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We know outer measure restricted to Lebesgue sigma algebra is countably additive.

If $A, B$ are disjoint measurable sets then $m^*(A\cup B) =m^*(A) +m^*(B) $

Hence for disjoint measurable sets strictly sub-aditivity of Lebesgue outer measure is not possible.


To get strictly sub-aditivity of outer measure choose $B\subset [0, 1]$ a Bernstein set .

Then Bernstein sets are non measurable and has full outer measure. Complement of a Bernstein is also Bernstein.

Then

$m^*(B\cup B^c)=m^*([0,1])=1<2=m^*(B) +m^*(B^c) $